Cnn
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Researchers say the number of people under 20 with type 2 diabetes in the U.S. could increase nearly 675 percent by 2060 if trends continue, with up to 65 percent increase in young adults with type 1 diabetes. .
Type 1 diabetes — in which the pancreas makes little or no insulin — is most common among young adults in the United States, but type 2 — in which the body doesn’t use insulin as it should — “has risen exponentially” a this age .over the past two decades, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
the new studiopublished this month in the American Diabetes Association’s journal Diabetes Care, it used data from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study, funded by the CDC and the National Institutes of Health.
The researchers found that if the 2017 incidence rates remained unchanged over the next few decades, the number of young people with any type of diabetes would increase by 12%, from 213,000 to 239,000. However, if the incidence continues to rise as rapidly as it did between 2002 and 2017, 526,000 young people could develop diabetes by 2060.
Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native American/Alaska Native youth are more likely to have a higher burden of type 2 diabetes than whites, say the researchers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the observed increase in projected rates of type 2 diabetes could have a variety of causes, including higher rates of childhood obesity and the presence of diabetes in people of reproductive age.
People with diabetes are at greater risk for complications, including nerve damage, vision and hearing problems, kidney disease, heart disease and premature death. Researchers have noted that the disease can worsen more rapidly in young people than in adults, requiring early medical attention. This, in turn, could increase the demand on American healthcare systems and lead to higher healthcare costs.
This new research should be a wake-up call for all of us. “It is imperative that we focus our efforts on ensuring that all Americans, especially our young people, are in the healthiest state possible,” said Dr. Debra Houry, acting deputy director of the CDC, in a statement.
Christopher Holliday, director of the agency’s Division of Diabetes Translation, called the findings “alarming.”
“This study’s staggering projections of increases in type 2 diabetes show why it’s so important to promote equity in health and reduce the pervasive disparities that already affect people’s health,” he said in a statement.
